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How can I improve email deliverability from GSuite when sending 1-to-1 emails and encountering spam placement issues?
Summary
Improving email deliverability from GSuite when sending 1-to-1 emails and encountering spam issues requires a multi-faceted approach. It starts with understanding the limitations of Google Postmaster Tools (GPT), which only provides insights from Gmail's perspective. Crucially, avoid sending unsolicited emails and identify any patterns in spam placement across different mail providers. Ensure a proper setup of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, verifying they are valid and include all sending sources. Review sending practices, ensuring you are not sending a mix of email types (support, service, cold) from the same domain. Warm-up new IPs gradually, maintain a clean email list, and create engaging content while avoiding spam trigger words. Actively monitor and manage your sender reputation, setting up feedback loops with ISPs and optimizing email preview text. Consider segmenting your lists and promoting recipient engagement to signal value to mailbox providers. For high-volume senders, evaluate switching to a dedicated IP address and ensure you have a valid reverse DNS (PTR) record.

Key findings

  • GPT Limitations: Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) provides limited insights as it only reflects Gmail's perspective.
  • Authentication is Crucial: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is essential for email deliverability.
  • Content Quality Matters: Creating high-quality, engaging content and avoiding spam trigger words is crucial.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list and removing inactive addresses improves sender reputation.
  • Sender Reputation Management: Actively monitoring and managing your sender reputation is critical.

Key considerations

  • Unsolicited Emails: Avoid sending unsolicited emails as they negatively impact sender reputation.
  • Email Type Separation: Consider separating different email types to distinct domains/IPs to isolate reputation impacts.
  • Warming Up IPs: Gradually warm up new IP addresses before sending large volumes of email.
  • Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops with major ISPs to address spam complaints promptly.
  • Engagement: Encourage recipient engagement to signal value to mailbox providers.
  • List segmentation: Segment your email lists to only send content that will be relevant to the user.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Improving email deliverability from GSuite for 1-to-1 emails involves several key strategies. Firstly, understanding Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) is important, recognizing its limitations as it only reflects Gmail's perspective. Avoiding unsolicited emails and identifying common spam filters among affected recipients can help pinpoint issues. It's crucial to ensure emails are not marked as spam because of content, poor sending practices, or domain reputation, rather than just IP addresses. Warming up IP addresses, cleaning email lists, and creating engaging, high-quality content are essential. Avoiding spam trigger words, implementing authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), setting up feedback loops, encouraging recipient engagement, optimizing preview text, and considering a dedicated IP address for high volumes are also crucial components of a successful deliverability strategy.

Key opinions

  • GPT Limitations: Google Postmaster Tools provides insights, but it only reflects Gmail's perspective on your domain's reputation.
  • Content Matters: High-quality, engaging content that avoids spam trigger words is essential for good deliverability.
  • Authentication is Key: Properly implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify email authenticity and improves trust with receiving mail servers.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning your email list and removing inactive or invalid addresses is vital for maintaining a good sender reputation.
  • Warming Up IPs: Gradually warming up GSuite IP addresses builds a positive sending reputation.

Key considerations

  • Unsolicited Emails: Be aware of sending unsolicited emails, as they can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to spam placement.
  • Dedicated IP: For high email volume, consider switching to a dedicated IP address to gain more control over your sending reputation.
  • Recipient Engagement: Encourage recipient engagement through relevant content and questions to signal value to mailbox providers.
  • Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops with major ISPs to receive reports about spam complaints and identify potential issues.
  • Preview Text Optimization: Optimize your email preview text to entice recipients to open your emails, increasing open rates and engagement.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that crafting high-quality, engaging email content is crucial. Avoid using spam trigger words, excessive links, or large images. Ensure your emails provide value to recipients and encourage interaction.
11 Mar 2025 - Email on Acid
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that gradually warming up your GSuite IP addresses by sending emails to engaged recipients first can help build a positive sending reputation. Avoid sending large volumes of emails to cold contacts initially.
30 Jul 2023 - Mailjet
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Improving email deliverability from GSuite involves several key considerations and practices. It's important to assess whether a mix of different email types (e.g., support, service, and cold emails) from the same domain/IP is contributing to deliverability problems. Regularly monitoring and actively maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial, as a poor reputation directly impacts deliverability. A thorough audit of the authentication setup, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, is necessary to ensure proper configuration and validity. Effective list segmentation enables personalization, prevents sending irrelevant content, and improves overall email marketing effectiveness, thus boosting deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Mixed Email Types: Sending mixed email types (support, service, cold) from the same domain/IP can contribute to deliverability issues.
  • Sender Reputation: Consistently monitoring and maintaining a positive sender reputation is critical for email deliverability.
  • Authentication Audit: Auditing the authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is necessary to ensure proper configuration and validity.
  • List Segmentation: Effective list segmentation is crucial for personalization, preventing irrelevant content, and improving overall email marketing effectiveness.

Key considerations

  • Email Type Separation: Consider separating different email types (e.g., cold outreach) to distinct domains/IPs to isolate reputation impacts.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Proactively monitor sender reputation metrics and address any emerging issues promptly.
  • Authentication Verification: Regularly verify the accuracy and validity of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Segmentation Strategy: Develop a comprehensive list segmentation strategy based on recipient engagement and preferences.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that the key to email deliverability is list segmentation. Segmenting your email list is a critical process that enables personalization, prevents sending content that subscribers are uninterested in, and keeps your overall email marketing efforts effective
10 Nov 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks asks if the sender is sending a mix of expected support/service emails and cold emails from the same domain/IP, which could be contributing to deliverability issues from GSuite.
10 Aug 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Improving email deliverability from GSuite relies heavily on proper configuration of email authentication methods. Correctly setting up SPF records, including all authorized sending sources like GSuite, is essential to prevent emails from being marked as spam. Implementing DKIM signing adds a digital signature, verifying email authenticity and increasing trust with receiving mail servers. Establishing a DMARC policy instructs receiving servers on handling emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks, with 'reject' or 'quarantine' policies improving domain reputation. Finally, ensuring your sending IP address has a valid reverse DNS record (PTR record) that points back to your domain is important, as a missing or incorrect record can raise suspicion and negatively impact deliverability.

Key findings

  • SPF Configuration: Correct SPF record setup is crucial; include all authorized sending sources, including GSuite.
  • DKIM Signing: Implementing DKIM signing verifies email authenticity and increases trust with receiving mail servers.
  • DMARC Policy: Setting up a DMARC policy with 'reject' or 'quarantine' can improve domain reputation.
  • Reverse DNS Record (PTR): A valid PTR record for the sending IP address is essential for deliverability.

Key considerations

  • SPF Accuracy: Regularly review and update SPF records to include all authorized sending sources to avoid deliverability issues.
  • DKIM Implementation: Ensure DKIM signing is properly implemented to add a digital signature to your emails.
  • DMARC Enforcement: Consider the impact of implementing 'reject' or 'quarantine' policies with DMARC and monitor for any unintended consequences.
  • PTR Record Verification: Verify that the PTR record for your sending IP address correctly points back to your domain.
Technical article
Documentation from Google recommends setting up a DMARC policy to instruct receiving mail servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Implementing a 'reject' or 'quarantine' policy can prevent spoofed emails from reaching recipients and improve your domain's reputation.
23 Feb 2022 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from RFC that your sending IP address should have a valid reverse DNS record (PTR record) that points back to your domain. A missing or incorrect PTR record can raise suspicion and negatively impact deliverability.
20 Feb 2024 - ietf.org
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